The Signal starts off as an alien version of
TheBlair Witch Project, then drifts off into cold plotlessness.

But, for a while, it seems as if the sci-fi thrill just might become interesting.

Three young people are on a road trip through the Southwest. Nic (Brenton Thwaites) walks with
crutches, but no mention is made of his injury.

Nic’s girlfriend, Haley (Olivia Cooke), is about to enter a yearlong academic program, and their
funny pal (Beau Knapp) is along for the ride.

Sitting in the back seat, the pal notices that a hacker is tracking them by computer. The guys
trace the signal, find the hacker’s location and start toying with the idea of paying the hacker a
visit.

But nobody is serious about the plan until tensions deepen between the couple.

Nic, it turns out, has a debilitating illness and wants to break up with Haley before she
rejects him. The scene is well-played and would seem to be the heart of the film, but, in fact, it
is more on the order of a diversion until the real plot begins.

Impulsively, the guys find the hacker’s house, and, filming it with hand-held cameras, they walk
around a bit until something awful happens.

When Nic wakes up in a hospital, he doesn’t know where he is or how he got there — only that a
man in a contamination suit (Laurence Fishburne) won’t tell him anything.

Nic isn’t the only one who doesn’t know anything — neither does the audience.

The movie goes on for another hour fruitlessly trying to build audience interest by denying
information. Every scene is cold and unbending.

The movie stays locked into the idea that its central mystery is so compelling — and the fate of
the characters such a matter of concern — that viewers will be able to keep their eyes open as
nothing happens.